History The first people who came to Alaska were some Eskimo tribes called Inupiaq, Inuit and Yupik. Later there came a lot of Indian tribes too. The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word Alyeska that means ”big country”. Alaska became a colony because Russia invaded the country to hunt the sea otters, the bears, the foxes and many other animals. The Russians wanted the fur. In 1867 the Russians sold Alaska to the Americans for 7, 2 million dollars (today it is the same as 134 million dollars). A little bit later, in 1890 the Americans found a lot of gold in Alaska and earned a lot of money. The Russians regretted that they had sold the country. Today the gold – rush is over, because it is not much gold left in the mines. Alaska became an American state in 1959.
The first people who came to Alaska were some Eskimo tribes called Inupiaq, Inuit and Yupik. Later there came a lot of Indian tribes too. The name Alaska comes from the Aleut word Alyeska that means ”big country”. Alaska became a colony because Russia invaded the country to hunt the sea otters, the bears, the foxes and many other animals. The Russians wanted the fur. In 1867 the Russians sold Alaska to the Americans for 7, 2 million dollars (today it is the same as 134 million dollars). A little bit later, in 1890 the Americans found a lot of gold in Alaska and earned a lot of money. The Russians regretted that they had sold the country. Today the gold – rush is over, because it is not much gold left in the mines. Alaska became an American state in 1959.